Following tough questioning, Anderson also boasted to senators that Enterprise Florida officials have made the state the first to contact German manufacturers of Porsche automobiles, who are looking to open a new assembly plant - possibly in the United States.

The Jacksonville-area is the region most likely to be pitched by Enterprise Florida, Anderson said.

"It would be very desirable," he said.

Lawmakers last year beefed-up Enterprise Florida, giving it economic development duties formerly held by the now-defunct state Commerce Department.

Also, state and federal changes to welfare laws also have pushed Enterprise Florida to the forefront of job creation efforts. More than 100,000 new jobs are expected to be needed in the next two years to reduce state welfare rolls, officials say.

But along the way, Enterprise Florida has stumbled.

The partnership was a month late in completing a longterm `strategic plan' in February. And the finished product, senators said Wednesday, was not as goal-oriented as many hoped.